I Became the Dark Knight in the Game - Chapter 82: Heroes (2)

It was a single-player game.

In essence, it was the kind of game where the protagonist controlled a character and explored the world.

There was no meeting other people, and if you wanted to develop another character, you had to start the game over from the beginning.

When Dale first found himself in this world, he had formulated several hypotheses.

Had he entered into the game itself?

Or was he reborn in a world that only shared the same setting as the game?

Alternatively, could it be that he was originally an inhabitant of this world who one day went mad and acquired false memories of Earth?

The first hypothesis seemed the easiest to accept and appeared to be the most likely.

I must have entered into the game.

He couldn’t be certain, but Dale became somewhat convinced of this as he encountered the game’s settings and occasionally the characters from the game.

Yet, now that hypothesis was being shaken.

The characters Dale had raised were all gathered in one place. If this was indeed the game, such a situation should not have occurred.

What in the world is this?

Dale stared intently at the statue.

The mercenary with short hair and a chiseled jaw. The tall priestess with long flowing hair. The mage with bobbed hair and somber eyes. The knight with a deeply pressed helmet featuring cross-shaped eye holes.

They were exactly as Dale remembered.

It wasn’t a mistake.

I was thinking about it all wrong.

He hadn’t considered heroes or mercenaries to be of much importance. That’s why he had put off recognizing them. There were, after all, far too many other pressing matters.

But he was mistaken.

The secrets held by these four seemed like they could be the key to why Dale had ended up in this world and how to return to his original world.

Dale felt a strong conviction.

He suddenly recalled the words of the goddess of the night.

Continue to persevere. Then your wish will come true. And you will reach your desired wishes and the truths you seek.

Her words were proving to be true.

After much hardship, Dale had made it to the upper districts, and upon setting foot there, he immediately stumbled upon this clue.

Perhaps it was the first real lead since arriving in this world.

He couldn’t afford to overlook it.

I need to find out more.

This was not the time for a leisurely stroll around the upper district. Now was the moment to follow this lead.

But where could he find the information he sought?

I want the most credible information I can get…

As Dale was pondering this, he suddenly became aware of a presence nearby.

He had been so focused that he hadn’t even noticed.

Dale’s hand reflexively went to his sword as he turned to see who it was.

Hmm?

Two young women were standing there.

They were dressed in elegant luxurious gowns, and since they seemed to resemble each other, they should be sisters.

Nobles?

It struck Dale as odd to see nobles wandering the streets. It truly brought home the fact that he was in the upper district.

For some reason, the sisters were looking at Dale with a blank expression on their faces.

Dale asked,

“Is there something you need?”

When Dale spoke, the women seemed at a loss for words. Then, the elder sister blushed and said,

“N-No. It’s just that we’ve never seen a knight looking at the statue like that…”

The woman gazed at Dale as if mesmerized, and then she seemed to realize that his armor was an unusual color.

She muttered,

“Ah. A dark knight…”

Then she asked with a nervous expression on her face.

“Could you be Sir Dale?”

“Do you know of me?”

Following Dale’s question, the two women exchanged glances. Their eyes widened in shock, and soon they were whispering excitedly to each other.

Dale was puzzled and he asked,

“What is the matter?”

“Oh, it’s just that… you’re more handsome than described in the books…”

“Books?”

“We’re fans! Could you please sign just one line for us?”

With that, she pulled out a thick book from her belongings and offered it to Dale.

It was a book with a cover made of expensive leather and the title embossed in gold.

Dale read the title,

The Honorable Adventures, Duels, and Loves of the Dark Knight…?

Dale flipped through the pages and quickly skimmed through the contents.

The protagonist was an honorable dark knight who journeyed far and wide while helping the weak.

One day, he heard rumors that a princess of an old kingdom was about to suffer greatly due to the schemes of an evil mage and a treacherous knight.

Unable to stand by, the protagonist challenges the knight to a duel, wins, and then with a single stroke of his blade, defeats the knight’s minions and the evil mage before finally rescuing the princess.

Afterward, the princess and the protagonist fall in love…

It was around this time that Dale closed the book abruptly.

The book was akin to the romance novels beloved by women, yet it shared similarities with the chivalric literature men favored.

The problem was that the story actually felt familiar. A more significant concern was that the protagonist’s name was Dale.

No, this is my story.

It was unmistakably based on Dale’s own experiences and used without permission.

Moreover, the back of the book contained this note:

[While this story includes some fictional elements, most of it is based on true events.]

To Dale’s eye, ninety percent of this novel was fabricated.

Perhaps it was a commercial strategy since it targeted the increased interest people have in stories based on true events?

This situation placed Dale in quite the predicament.

The women had their eyes sparkling as they asked,

“Could you tell us about the duel with Sir Kristen, who’s known to be wicked, terrible, fond of mocking women, and reeking of a horrendous smell?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure about Kristen harassing women, but I don’t recall any foul smell.”

“Please tell us about the mages who use innocent women as test subjects for their magical research!”

“Hmm.”

“Ah! Are you still sharing a passionate love with the princess?”

“Elena is but a child who barely reaches my waist.”

Dale had to spend a considerable amount of time explaining that most of the novel’s content was fictional.

The two women reluctantly nodded their heads, though they seemed unconvinced.

In the end, Dale wrote ‘Katharina and Marika’ on the front page of the novel. And only after writing ‘May you always be happy.’ was he able to escape the barrage of questions.

For reference, Katharina and Marika were the names of the sisters.

Having narrowly escaped, Dale turned his gaze back to the statue.

Then the sisters remarked,

“It’s a well-crafted statue, isn’t it? We’ve had the chance to see heroes from afar before, and truly, they looked just like this statue.”

Dale who was thinking about something asked,

“I’ve become interested in heroes because of this. Do you know of any place where I could hear stories about them?”

The sisters whispered to each other before responding.

“We can share stories about heroes with you. Ah! Would you like to come to our mansion? We can discuss this over tea.”

Dale quickly shook his head.

“Thank you, but I must decline. I’m seeking information that is as objective as possible…”

“Objective information, you say.”

The sisters pondered deeply, then suddenly clapped their hands together and suggested,

“How about visiting the library then?”

“The library?”

“Yes! I heard that there is a scribe in the library who records important things. Perhaps the scribe has recorded everything with utmost accuracy?”

Dale nodded in agreement.

Regardless of era or country, there are always those who enjoy documenting historical events, and while such individuals may add their perspective to history, they do not fabricate facts.

This could provide Dale with the information he was looking for.

The engaging conversation with the sisters proved to be quite fruitful.

After expressing his gratitude, Dale turned to leave.

The sisters called out as he walked away.

“See you again, Sir Dale!”

“We hope to share a cup of tea with you next time!”

After saying that, they waved their handkerchief energetically.

Dale could only shake his head in disbelief at their innocent display.

He then rummaged through his memories and walked toward the library.

All while taking in the sights of District 3 along the way.

What struck him most was the cleanliness of the streets. They were well-maintained with hardly any dust or dirt in sight.

The people seemed cheerful as well.

Their clothes were expensive and they appeared to live a life of leisure.

Dale overheard the conversations of passersby.

“I heard a new piece at the concert. The melody was really to my taste.”

“Did you hear about the incident at Baron Kari’s ball? That wretch caused a commotion again. Such a headache.”

“Have you read that book? The one where the dark knight duels for the princess…”

The topics of their conversations were relaxing. The kind that was hard to come by outside this district.

It was peaceful.

It was as if the invasion of demon forces from the outside or the collapse of countries and cities leading to an influx of refugees had nothing to do with them.

There was none of the intensity that one always felt in the slums and the outer districts.

It felt like a different country, a different world altogether.

Crossing just one city wall revealed a paradise.

Dale walked slowly through District 3 while feeling out of place in this unfamiliar atmosphere.

Unlike the slums and the outer districts where alleys were overgrown, there was no risk of getting lost here.

The buildings in sight were all large and majestic.

The last wall encircling the imperial palace seemed sturdier than any other wall, and the tall gray towers seemed to pierce the clouds.

That gray tower was the very magic tower.

As he walked past the magic tower, just as he remembered, he saw a five-story building at the far end of a wide square.

That must be the library.

Fortunately, it was exactly where he remembered it to be. Dale approached the library.

People who appeared to be scholars or mages were coming and going. None of them were dressed in armor or carrying weapons like Dale.

When he entered, a young librarian looked alarmed and said,

“Uh, umm, this is a library, you know?”

“I know.”

The librarian eyed Dale with a curious look before speaking again.

“This is a place for reading books.”

“…Why explain something so obvious?”

Yet, the librarian still regarded Dale with a suspicious gaze. It was rare for a knight to visit the library.

Perhaps the paladins of the church would come by occasionally to monitor forbidden texts.

But this was the first time a dark knight had ever come.

Dale explained his situation to this librarian.

“So, you’re here to see the scribe, then.”

“Would I be able to meet with them?”

“It’s possible, yes, but…”

As the librarian’s words trailed off, Dale asked.

“Is there a problem?”

“Problem, you say? Hmm. It might be better for you to hear it directly rather than me explaining. Please, follow me.”

The librarian led Dale up the stairs. They arrived at a place filled with mountains of dusty old books and piles of indiscernible clutter.

Atop one of these mountains of old books sat a dwarf in a large pointed hat reading a book with a look of boredom on his face.

The librarian spoke.

“That person over there is the scribe. He has a bit of a temper, so you’d be wise to tread carefully. Oh, and let’s keep it between us that I mentioned that he is ill-tempered, alright?”

Dale nodded his head and the librarian disappeared.

Dale navigated through the mountains of old books to approach the scribe.

Catching a glimpse of Dale, the scribe muttered loudly to himself.

“Bringing a sword into the repository of knowledge. The lack of manners in these modern times is truly appalling.”

Dale addressed the scribe.

“I’ve heard that you document every event that occurs in the empire. I have questions; that’s why I came here.”

The scribe retorted sharply without even turning his head.

“299.”

“?”

“That’s the number of fools who’ve come to me just like you. But know this, I have no intention of sharing my precious knowledge with idiots!”

The scribe’s voice cracked as he shouted and his eyes were leaking a semblance of madness.

Dale thought to himself.

He really is ill-tempered.

It was clear this was not going to be an easy man to deal with.

The scribe bellowed again.

“To dare extract information from me, you must defeat me! But remember, the previous 299 fools all failed. Will you be the 300th?”

“I understand.”

“Huh?”

“If it’s just a matter of winning a fight, then so be it.”

“Right. Engage in a battle of wits with me…”

Sshhk.

Dale drew his cursed sword. Its ominous aura caused the scribe to freeze in his place.

Facing the petrified scribe, Dale declared,

“Combat is my forte. This will be over quickly.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait! That’s not the kind of fight I meant…!”

Dale cut off the scribe’s protest and charged forward with his sword raised.

The scribe’s face turned ashen.

His undefeated legend was on the verge of being shattered.